


A Time To Remember

by ThiefOfADHD



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Arguing, Clumsiness, Coming Out, Crying Over Dreams, Dream Kissing, Drug Use, Drugs In The Car Game, Eventual Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Explicit Language, F/M, Humanstuck, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Meulin Leijon/Kurloz Makara, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Sadstuck, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-10-31 13:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10899969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThiefOfADHD/pseuds/ThiefOfADHD
Summary: Moving can be very difficult, especially for Karkat Vantas and his family. With the drama of school, friends, enemies, and many thing you'd see in an 80's or 90's themed high school movie, it can be very accurately stated that this new life is not going well for Karkat.Filled with the extremities of many many things, with several tags to be added into later installments. Have fun.





	1. Prologue/The Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Car rides can be harsh, little brothers can also be harsh, an older brother trying to ramble on and on about sleeping patters? It just makes little brothers ready to bash their heads in. Moving is fun, isn't it?

_Thwampthwampthwampthwamp-_ **_thudunk!_ **

Karkat opened his wine-red eyes, waking up from his dazed half-slumber as the car hit yet another bump in the road. He glanced out the window, noticing the heavy rain splattering on the car. He rubbed the palm of his hands against his eyes, shifting to stretch as much as he could in the cramped space.

“Didn’t think you’d wake up.” A soft voice spoke from Karkat’s left, causing the young male to turn, seeing his brother reading with a small book lamp. As Karkat looked over himself, he saw a blanket they’d kept in the car laying on him. He shifted, removing his seatbelt as he moved to lay down, taking up all the remaining space in the backseat. He shifted to get comfortable, taking his time before pulling the blanket completely over him, shifting so his cheek was against his brother’s thigh.

“Kankri, just shut up, I’m tired.” He grumbled out, his eyes sliding shut quickly. He felt Kankri shift, soon feeling his head being lifted up.

“At least use an actual pillow and not me, Karkat. You know you tend to drool most times you sleep.” He griped, rolling his own eyes. Karkat used two fingers to jab Kankri in the side, using the pillow with a smirk as Kankri shifted away from Karkat.

“Looks like someone’s getting laid in college.” He mumbled sarcastically, yawning as he rubbed his eyes again. “Dad, how much longer until we’re at the house?” He asked, glancing up at the front of the car.

“About another two or so hours.” His father mused, glancing back at Karkat from the rear-view mirror. “Do you want the radio on, either of you?”

“Yes, any kind of music, please, no more of this silent car bullshit.” Karkat asked, his voice coming back raspy and loud. He wished he could say this was because he was tired and not that that was how he naturally sounded. He was happily greeted with the radio being turned on and changed to a station that had good clearance of sound.

“Karkat, are you going back to sleep?” Kankri asked, glancing down at Karkat from his book.

“Yes, asshole, now shut up.”

“I was just checking, as you tend to not sleep a whole lot lately. You know, I do tend to over-analyze things, but I do think-”

“I said shut up.”

“-that you might have some form of sleeping disability of some sort. I feel as though you might actually have a form of insomnia-”

“Kankri.”

“-that could be the cause of your abrupt waking patterns or your inability to fall asleep at all. It could also be some form of mental illness, however, like the one mother-”

“ **SHUT THE FUCK UP!** ”

The entire car went silent all of a sudden as their father pulled over on the side of the road. Kankri had grown silent, looking down at Karkat who simply turned and looked away from him. Kankri looked up at their father, an eyebrow raised curiously as he looked back at Karkat.

“Karkat, did I trigger you, or-”

“No, shut up, just shut the fuck up, let me sleep, read your book.” Karkat spoke quickly, curling up on himself as he burrowed into the blanket.

“I- alright.” Kankri whispered as the car resumed its drive. Karkat laid in silence, slowly falling asleep to the music playing from the radio.

* * *

When Karkat awoke again, he was tucked up in his father’s arms, being carried up a set of stairs in their new house. Karkat rubbed at his eyes, yawning as he looked up at his father, laying his head on his shoulder with a sleepy sigh. He felt his father rub his back, feeling himself relaxing as he watched them enter a room filled with boxes.

“Kankri was nice enough to make your bed for you. Do you want to stay up and unpack, or you going back to sleep?” He asked softly, setting Karkat on his bed. Karkat, however, couldn’t find the strength to speak, simply laying down. A hand raked through his coarse hair gently as a chuckle left his father. The hand pulled away as footsteps made its way towards the door, closing and shutting it suddenly. Karkat moved and got under the blankets, falling asleep quickly now that he had a room all to himself.


	2. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat and Kankri's father's name is revealed, I attempted to make a written meme of the "look at this" Nickelback meme, and who the hell is Anya? Also, Karkat disses H A R D on Kankri. Y'know, as little brothers do.

_“Scotty, hurry up! We’re gonna miss it! Scotty! Scotty, c’mon, I know you’re faster than that!”_

Scott’s eyes opened suddenly as he looked around his bedroom. Boxes were stacked everywhere as he looked at his bed, which was lazily half-made with a sheet. He must’ve fallen asleep while making it. He shifted, noticing the blanket on top of him, as well as a note from Kankri. He picked it up, reading it carefully.

_Went to the store for groceries with your wallet, make sure you text me if you or Karkat need anything._

Scott let out a small groan, laying back in his bed as he rubbed his eyes. He slowly got up, stretching as he moved to unpack. It was no use just laying in bed all day, he had to unpack the house, and that meant starting with his bedroom.

Several boxes and the start of a Nickelback cd later, Scott opened up a box, pausing when he saw a picture frame. He slowly lifted it up, studying the picture inside it carefully. The picture detailed his family, with him, Kankri, Karkat, and-

* * *

 Karkat woke up slowly, walking around in search of someone being in the house, pausing when he heard the sound of sobbing and Nickelback coming from behind a door. He looked at the door, slowly opening it before looking inside, seeing his father sitting on his bed, a picture frame in hand. Karkat hesitated, slowly going towards his father before sitting next to him, laying his head against the older man’s shoulder. He caught a glimpse of the picture, taking it out of his hands before gently setting it away from them face-down.

“You miss her, too, huh?” He asked, moving to hug his father gently. He only got a small whimper and a nod in reply as his hug was retaliated. He rubbed his back gently, unsure of what else to do. “Dad, it’s going to be okay. It- it’s been five years, I think we can admit that it’s been too long.” He whispered, slowly pulling away from the hug he initiated.

“Yeah, but… it’s hard to get over someone you love-”

“I know, dad. It’s hard. Especially since it was mom.” He cut him off, rubbing at his face. “Dad, do you resent her for what she did?” He asked suddenly.

“What? Why would you say that?” His father asked, looking at his youngest child.

“I don’t know, I feel like you resent that she even-”

“Karkat, I don’t resent her, nor do I resent what she did, I just-.” He sighed. “I wish she didn’t do it, but then again, it’s not like we can change the past.” He pulled Karkat close, hugging him gently. “Kankri said he was going to the grocery store, do you wanna help me unpack the kitchen until he comes back?”

Karkat was quiet for a bit, slowly nodding. “Probably best to, maybe start washing some dishes that way we have something clean to eat off of.” He mused, getting up before offering his hand to help his father up.

“Let’s go unpack a kitchen, you know how to wash dishes, right?”

“Well, yeah, dad, I’m fifteen, it’s not like it’s chemical engineering.” He rolled his eyes, going down towards the kitchen.

A half hour later, Kankri returned home with several grocery bags. “I’m home!” He called out, walking into the kitchen to see his father and Karkat finishing up with unpacking the kitchen. He chuckled, setting the bags on the counter. “I see you guys have been busy.” He mused.

“Yep, we got most of the kitchen unpacked, some boxes are still in the living room, and also, we discovered that we have a lot of cupboard space for spices and such.” His father joked, peeking into a bag. “What’s in here?”

“Essentials. Mostly food for the fridge and pantry, also dish soap and toiletries. I also rented a couple movies that way when we get the tv and dvd player hooked up we could watch a couple movies. Y’know, like old times.” Kankri smiled.

“Oh wow, what’d you get, the entire documented specialties of Stephen Hawking?” Karkat spoke sarcastically, drying off a plate.

“Actually, I got some comedy movies.” He snarked back.

“Oh wow, a movie night where Kankri gets offended by every little joke, how exciting.” Karkat rolled his eyes, setting the plate down. At seeing Kankri’s reaction, Karkat continued. “Oh, oh look, someone call the cops, cause Kankri’s so triggered it’s becoming a mass shooting!” He passed by his older brother, gently patting his shoulder. “I feel bad for the girl you lose your virginity to, and not just because she’d only get three inches.”

“I am celibate!” Kankri argued.

“Oh, you’re still going with that, hm, well, tell your religious leader or whatever that you assume celibacy includes jerking it in your room to people correcting others grammar on the internet!” Karkat quickly ran up to his room, being chased by Kankri.

A chuckle left Scott as he watched all this, slowly turning to put things away, pausing as he closed his eyes, letting out a small sigh.

“Oh, Anya, if only you could see how they’ve grown up.” He whispered, soon returning to his current task.


	3. New School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat isn't too happy to start school, and he's especially not too happy to be dealing with Kankri's educational speech about education. Scott, however, isn't too happy to deal with two sons who constantly fight. Somebody call reality television because that's how dramatic these two fuckers are acting.

**_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_ **

Karkat’s eyes opened, a scowl instinctively filling his face as he smacked at his alarm clock, whose red digital numbers were flashing as the alarm blared. He sat up, rubbing his face. It was too early for everything. He sat up, groaning as he thought about faking sick to avoid the very first day of school. This, however, wouldn’t be advised.

He got up, lazily throwing on pants and a shirt before pulling on a jacket. He stomped downstairs, looking into the kitchen to see his father making breakfast. His stomach growled hungrily as he walked in, sitting at the table.

“So used to sleeping in, huh?” Scott asked, smiling at Karkat as he gave him a plate of bacon with a waffle. “I’m guessing you’re not going to try and get a shower?”

“I showered last night.” He grumbled, his speech slightly slurred from him not being entirely awake. He ate a strip of bacon as Kankri came in, a smile on his face. Karkat scoffed at it.

“Good morning, father. Good morning, Karkat.” Kankri smiled at him, looking at Karkat. “Karkat, you should brush your hair before we go to school.”

“Fuck you.” Karkat snapped, looking away.

Kankri raised an eyebrow, getting out two portable mugs as he filled them with coffee. “Seriously, Karkat? You don’t need to be so grouchy all the time.”

“Kankri, give it a rest, Karkat’s a teenager, he’s having angst.” Scott chuckled. “Besides, I remember when I was his age, I was pretty angry myself at that time.”

“Will you two **stop** **_talking_ ** **about me**!?!” Karkat growled at them.

“Karkat, you need to relax, besides, it’s the first day of school. You get to make friends, learn new things, who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy yourself.” Kankri mused.

“I’ll enjoy being away from you for eight hours, I won’t enjoy being around hormonal assholes, and you wanna know what, I’ll fucking hate it, because school is pointless.”

“Karkat, don’t say that! School is the most important thing needed to learn new things and get further in life. You act as though it’s pointless even though there’s thousands of benefits. If you were to take all the benefits and compare it to what would be considered to be all the bad things about school, the gain is way higher than the loss! It’s a great dea-”

“Kankri, _nobody_ is going to want to fuck you if you keep droning on and on. You’ll bore people to death, and if they do live, they’ll want to kill you to make you shut up. Hell, _I_ want to kill you. So, can you just **shut up for** **_once_ ** **in your** **_fucking life_ **!?!” Karkat stood up, shoving the rest of his bacon into his mouth as he stomped off to get his backpack and shoes.

Kankri stood there in the kitchen, mouth opening and closing without a sound coming out. He looked at Scott wide-eyed in shock. He only received a sigh and a shake of the head as Scott went to go start the car to drive them both to school.

* * *

As Scott dropped Karkat and Kankri off, he looked in the backseat. “Karkat, stay in for a minute, I need to talk to you.” He spoke softly, hearing the very loud groan come from his youngest, who had been halfway through taking off his seatbelt. Scott drove off, parking in the parking lot.

“What do you want?” Karkat asked.

“It’s about this morning, you need to stop fighting with Kankri, he’s your brother-”

“He needs to stop being a complete asshole.”

“ **Karkat** , listen to me.” Scott looked at him sternly. “Stop fighting with your brother, you are fifteen years old, he’s eighteen years old, you both need to act your ages.” He sighed. “Look, I know things have been hard for you, and it’s been stressful from the move, but you need to just try and keep your cool. Okay?”

Karkat nodded quietly. “Got it.”

“Okay, have a good day at school. I’ll see you tonight.” Scott smiled.

“Okay.” Karkat got out, slamming the car door shut before leaving towards the school.


	4. My Druggie Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Gamzee Makara” His dazed look and dopey smile make him seem at least half-pleasant as Karkat gently shook his hand. “So, what the motherfuck is your name, my brother?”
> 
> “Karkat.” His voice spoke more softly than it had as a calming sensation filled him. Maybe Gamzee wasn’t half bad.

School was growing boring, and even as Karkat dragged himself through the halls after lunch to his next class, he couldn’t help but scold himself for his fight with his brother that morning. Could you believe it, a high school sophomore yelling at his brother, a high school senior!

Walking into the classroom, Karkat found it half-filled. He walked to the back, sitting down in an empty desk next to a tall and lanky kid. He glanced at him at first, before taking a double-take at him.

The kid sitting next to him had black-hair, wild and mussy and a very white-painted face, offset especially by his toned caramel-coloured skin. With glossed-over and half-lidded eyes and a dopey smile, it was obvious he was on something. He turned his head, causing Karkat to panic and turn away. A chuckle left him as he leaned over.

“Sup, motherfucker?” He asked, his voice was slightly gravelly, but otherwise had a slight Southern drawl to it. Karkat turned back to him.

“Uh, not much?” He mumbled, catching a very subtle smell of herbs on him. “I- I’m sorry, what’s your name?” The one thing he didn’t expect was the boy’s thin hands and long fingers to reach for him, offering to shake his hand. On his arm lay a tattoo of the comedy and tragedy masks, made to look like clowns.

“Gamzee Makara” His dazed look and dopey smile make him seem at least half-pleasant as Karkat gently shook his hand. “So, what the motherfuck is your name, my brother?”

“Karkat.” His voice spoke more softly than it had as a calming sensation filled him. Maybe Gamzee wasn’t half bad.

“Sick name, Karkat.” His drawl made the name sound so alien to Karkat, which made it sound so good. “Where’d you come from?”

“Um- Europe. Just moved.” He whispered. “France.”

“Hah. Do you fuckers have those giant breadstick things?” He looked amazed, causing an exasperated chuckle to bubble from Karkat as he watched the tan male’s look of amazement.

“Baguettes, yes, we have them.” He nodded gently, and soon enough, the bell rang for class to get started.

* * *

As class came to an end, Gamzee looked at Karkat, passing him a piece of paper with a phone number on it. Karkat looked at it gently, looking back up at him.

“In case you ever need to up and relax.” He offered with a smile, getting up as everyone went to shuffle out of the class. “See ya, Karbro!” He waved at him, leaving as Karkat quickly scrambled to pick his things up.

As the young Vantas walked to his next class, he thought about Gamzee. Maybe he would be his new friend. Maybe… maybe they would be great friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, even though these chapters are all pretty short, still hope you enjoy this though!


	5. His Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanging out with Gamzee can be interesting, but as Karkat soon discovers, it has a lot of bad mistakes to it as well.

Karkat could hear his father’s voice in the back of his head, _‘you’re fifteen years old, you shouldn’t be hanging around these people and doing what they’re doing!’_ , a sick feeling filled his chest as he tried to ignore the nagging feeling. He glanced around his surroundings, the inside of the van getting hot-boxed with clove cigarettes and kush.

Why the fuck did he agree to get in Gamzee’s insanely painted van to meet his friends, they’ve only known each other for a week, not even that really! Karkat sat in the back quietly, watching people whom he didn’t know smoke. If that wasn’t the worst of it, Gamzee was laying with his head in his lap.

“Karkat, wanna hit?” He asked, his dopey smile aimed at him as he held up a clove cigarette. Karkat reached for it hesitantly, closing his eyes as he soon took it and pressed the funnel between his lips.

Many people say your first time smoking a cigarette can make you cough. Apparently, Karkat was an exception, melting into the cigarette as he slowly blew the smoke into the cloud of smoke from the several cigarettes and bowls. He heard Gamzee’s laugh as he looked down at him.

“Motherfucker, I’ve never seen you so relaxed!” He sat up, patting Karkat’s back. “Damn, maybe I should get you a pack of these so you can relax some more.”  
  
Karkat slowly nodded, giving back the cigarette as he went back to his normal stance of stiffness. There was soon a knock on the back door of the van as Gamzee crawled over to it, and with the door’s opening, a lot of smoke funneled out and fresh air filled the van. The fresh air hit Karkat and he didn’t realize he’d needed it until this very moment. He looked over the three other kids in the van, from what he was told, they were friends of Gamzee’s older brother, Kurloz.

Another kid crawled into the van with three bags, sitting down across from Karkat. He looked similar to Gamzee, a bit bigger in both height and build. He turned to him, his face was painted as well, although it was a bit more… terrifying. One of the kids, a girl with long blonde hair, moved right into his arms, smiling at him, a blue tail that was pinned to her skirt falling between her legs.

“Karkat, this is Kurloz, I’ve told you about him.” Gamzee smiled, watching as Karkat gently waved to the older brother, who waved back with a smile.

“Damn, Gamz, didn’t know you could befriend such a tiny little kid.” Kurloz joked, his voice was similar to Gamzee’s, except it was deeper and louder.

“I’m fifteen…” Karkat mumbled.  
  
“Fifteen?! Damn, you don’t look that old.” Kurloz ruffled Karkat’s hair, making him attempt to fix it. It was useless either way, his hair was always a mess.

“Alright, let’s get this shitshow on the road!” Gamzee climbed into the front, and soon, the van was driving off, rocking around.

* * *

 An hour into the next town, Karkat was starting to think he was getting high from the second-hand smoke on its own. The back doors on the van were open, and Gamzee was pulling kids in and taking their money before they jumped out with something from one of the three bags Kurloz brought in. Karkat glanced around the slightly smoking van, and was curious as to where Kurloz had gone, and where that girl that was with him went as well. That was, until he heard a soft moan behind him.

As he went to turn and look into the front seat, Gamzee jumped to sit next to him.

“You don’t want to look up there.” He whispered, winking at him. That was, until the blonde girl poked her head out, her hair mussed up and cheeks bright red, not even wearing her long-sleeved shirt anymore.

“Awe, Gamzee, if he wants to watch the show, then why don’t you let him?” She purred, her French accent flowing through flawlessly. She glanced at Karkat, smiling as she winked at him, making him turn bright red.  
  
“Nah, Meulin, he’s just a little kid.” Kurloz chimed, popping up behind her, having a couple tattoos on his arm. Karkat noticed this and had to turn away, hearing the deep chuckle. “Now, c’mon babe, I thought you loved getting that fantastic miracle.”   
  
“Oh, Purrloz~” And soon, the both of them had fallen away and back into the front seat. Karkat scooted away from the seats a bit.

* * *

 As it grew dark, most of the kids had left, even some of Kurloz’s friends, leaving only him, Gamzee and Kurloz, and also Meulin as well. While Kurloz drove, Meulin had started showing Gamzee and Karkat something.

“It’s this… herbal drink. You two should try it!” She smiled, offering it to Karkat, who looked at Gamzee.

“Meulin, baby, are you trying to get them to taste your catnip?” Kurloz called from the front.

“PURRLOZ!” She blushed darkly. “No, it’s just a drink, nothing too bad.”  
  
“Damn, I wanna try some!” Gamzee reached for the drink, and once he got a hold of it, he took a drink and passed it to Karkat. It took him a few minutes, but Karkat found himself taking a rather long drink.

“Meulin!”

“What?!” She turned to Kurloz, raising an eyebrow.

“Meulin, that better not fucking be peyote!” Kurloz pulled over, turning to look at her. She avoiding eye contact.

“I also mixed it with some rum and coke…” She mumbled, fumbling with her hands slowly.

“Meulin…” Kurloz pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please tell me they didn’t take a whole lot.”

“Um…” Meulin took the bottle. “Well, I know Gamzee took a small sip-” She looked at the bottle, which was missing a third of its contents. “Oh boy.”  
  
Kurloz turned to Karkat. “Oh fuck.” He mumbled. 

* * *

 While Gamzee was simply laying on the floor smoking a joint, Karkat was laying in a beanbag chair with a blanket overtop him, finding himself seeing everything melding together in a blur. He saw a grey hand gently cup his cheek, it felt soft and cool, and soon, he found a cold drink against his lips.

“Here, Karkitty, some water might help…” Meulin cooed, looking up at Kurloz. “I’m sorry I brought peyote in here again…” She whispered.

“Look, at least it’s not as bad as LSD.” He mumbled, going a bit too fast for the speed limit. “Just, just hope that we don’t get into any trou-” And soon, red and blue lights flickered in the back windows as a cop siren went off. “FUCK!” Kurloz hit the steering wheel, pulling over as Meulin climbed into the seat, making him scoot over so she was driving.  
  
Karkat turned to watch them as a cop shone a flashlight through the window, Meulin leaned down to roll it down with the handle.

“Good evening, miss, do you know why I pulled you over?” The cop asked, Karkat recognized the voice, but he didn’t know where.

“You want to play the game!” Meulin blurted, she did this a lot every time she got pulled over.

“What game?” The cop leaned closer to the window, Karkat squinted, still unable to see who it was.

“Y’know, the find the drugs in the car game…” Her voice dropped into a mumble, and Kurloz gently squeezed her shoulder as an irritated look crossed his face.

“Ma’am, please step out of the car. And get everyone out of the car. I’m going to call backup.” The cop told her. She nodded gently, slowly getting out as Kurloz climbed in back to open the doors, getting Gamzee and Karkat both out. The cop went back to his car.

“Kurloz, the fuck is going on?” Gamzee asked, still smoking. Kurloz frowned at him gently.

“We’re going to jail, Gamzee, that’s what’s going on. And we’ll be lucky if they let us go.” He sighed, holding Karkat up.

Karkat was slowly starting to focus again, and when he saw the cop in his car, his eyes widened.

“Oh fuck.”

“What?” Kurloz looked at Karkat, curious.

“That’s my dad.” He whispered.

* * *

 Meulin was sitting on a small bed, frowning as she looked at Kurloz, Karkat, and Gamzee. They were all in the same cell together in the small jail.

“You couldn’t stay the speed limit, Purrloz?” She mumbled.

“Me?! You’re the one that brought peyote!” Kurloz snapped, not looking at her.

“We wouldn’t have gotten caught if you didn’t drive quickly!”

“If you didn’t tell him that there’s drugs in the car, we would’ve been fine!”

“Oh! So it’s MY FAULT!?!” She shoved him a bit.

“YES! YES IT IS!” He threw his arms up.

“Kurloz, can you please stop fighting with her, it was my idea to do this.” Gamzee yawned, almost asleep.  
  
“Fine…” Kurloz mumbled, stroking his younger brother’s hair gently, looking at Karkat, who was pacing back and forth in a panic. “Karkat, are you okay?”

“No! No I’m fucking not! My DAD fucking ARRESTED ME! If I wasn’t so fucking terrified of what shit he’s planning for me, I’d be flat out embarrassed as shit!” Karkat sat down, shaking slightly. Meulin pulled him into her arms, rubbing his back gently to calm him.

“The peyote’s wearing off, poor baby…” She cooed, stroking his hair. “He’s never done drugs before, has he?”

“Nah.” Gamzee shook his head. There was a small tap on the bars.

“Miss Leijon, your mother’s here.” Scott told her, opening the cell for her. “Bring Karkat out with you, Kankri’s here for him.”

Karkat swallowed hard as he looked at Meulin, slowly getting up with her as they walked out of the cell. She quickly went to her mother, and when Karkat started for Kankri, Scott stopped him.

“I will talk to you when I get home.” He whispered, letting Karkat continue to Kankri. Karkat looked back to see Kurloz and Gamzee, swallowing hard as he looked away, gripping the sleeves of his jacket.

“Karkat…” Kankri started, quickly being cut off by Karkat.

“Can I stay in your room tonight? Since dad’s gonna murder me when he gets home.” He asked softly, a hand touching his back gently.

“Of course, Karkat.” Kankri nodded, taking him home.


	6. Coolkid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the hazy weekend, Karkat wants to forget about everything that happened. Luckily for him, a certain enigma of a blond is there to help him forget. And also give him a cigarette.

The conversation with his father played through Karkat’s head repeatedly throughout the weekend, throughout all of school even. Guilty was surging through him as he slowly went from class to class, feeling as if he was simply doing the movements instead of living the moments. He knew this feeling pretty well, and not just from seven years of experience. This, however, didn’t disregard the fact that he has now discovered himself to be in the school’s bathroom during lunch with blood on his upper thighs.

A shaky breath left him as he quickly cleaned his thighs before exiting the bathroom, walking hastily with his eyes towards the ground, a knot buried deep in his stomach, his chest, his throat. He folded his arms over himself, holding his sides as he walked quickly, the stinging of his thighs making themselves known fairly quickly.

Just as quickly as the stinging of his thighs came, Karkat slammed face-first into some guy’s chest. The guy stumbled back, falling backwards, and with Karkat’s own clumsiness, he toppled after him.

“Agh- fuck!” Karkat cried out, completely slumped on the guy, his thighs having hit the guy’s hips, causing a jolt of pain to go through his nerves. As he slowly lifted his head from the guy’s chest, he flushed darkly, seeing first a pair of thin, pale lips on a slightly pale and freckled face. His eyes flickered up, seeing his own darkened reflection off the guy’s aviator shades. He slowly sat up, looking down at them both before freezing.

Karkat Vantas was straddling some random kid in the hallway. And the author assures you, dear reader, that it looked VERY sexual.

The guy sat up, looking at Karkat as he pushed his blond locks out of his face, using his middle finger to push his shades closer to his face, turning his attention to Karkat, who quickly crawled off of him.

“Fuck- I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to bump into you and-” Karkat was shaking slightly, panic running through him as he expected the guy to scream at him and leave. What scared Karkat even more, however, was the guy’s pale lips curling up as he started laughing, laying back on the floor as he howled out laugh after laugh. Karkat watched in silence as the blond’s hysterical laughter died down after a minute or two, the guy’s face flushed red and his freckles illuminated from his laughter.

The blond’s chest heaved as some small chuckles left him, trying to calm down and catch his breath. He sat back up, looking at Karkat as his smile slowly faded into a barely-there smile.

“Sup?” He asked, his voice sounded like he came from New York, with a hidden Texan accent. Karkat watched him, silent before finally registering that he was being talked to, shaking himself out of his daze.

“Wh- sorry, what?” He stammered out suddenly, watching him.

“I asked what’s up? You fell on me pretty quickly, most likely in a hurry, what’s up?” He chuckled half-heartedly, ruffling Karkat’s hair gently. “Y’know, you don’t really see redheads like you around often.”

Karkat frowned, pulling from his hand. “I’m sorry, but who the fuck are you?”

“Oh, hah, you’re new, huh? Sorry about that, name’s Dave. I’m known for the several rumors of me either being very gay or me having banged every single girl in the school.” Dave’s smile was officially gone by this point, a clear façade put up to mask his own emotions.

“I’m Karkat.” He whispered softly, slowly getting up. “And those sound like some pretty hefty rumors.” Karkat watched as Dave got up after him, frowning at the fact that Dave was a fucking tall bean plant. Emphasis on tall. Tall and lanky, this kid was. However, the smaller male did find himself looking over how the blond had some clear muscle definition, even if it wasn’t too extreme.

“Yeah, don’t listen to them, though. Rule number one about this school, almost all rumors are lies. Rule number two, if it’s a rumor about the Makara brother’s drug ring, that’s not a rumor. That’s just a fact everyone as far as three towns over know.” He watched the smaller male quietly. “So, what brings you here to this shit town?” He asked.

“Dad wanted a fresh start. What about you? Are you originally from here?”

“Nah, folks decided that after being separated for so long that they should get back together. Kinda fuck up, considering what pops did.” He rolled his eyes, looking at Karkat. “Wanna go out to the ball field and have a smoke?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” He nodded gently.

* * *

 “So, what exactly happened between your parents?” Karkat asked, frustratingly trying to light his cigarette.

“Well, it all started after I was like, six.” Dave took his own lit cigarette, pressing it to the tip of Karkat’s. “Inhale as I light it.” The redhead nodded gently as he did so, watching as the cigarette slowly lit, pulling the filter out of his mouth as he exhaled the smoke, relaxing on the bench gently.

“Thank you, continue with your story?” He asked, watching as Dave sat next to him.

“Well, when I was six, my uncle had me and my older brother, Dirk, stay with him for awhile. Dad was off in Virginia, and Louisiana, mom likes to say that he was also off in Jessica, Maryl, Nadene, and a few other names I can’t remember. So, my mom asked my uncle to keep us with him, and she took my two sisters, Rose and Roxy, to New York. For three years, we kept getting letters saying how dad is pretty fucking pissed, and that bullshit. Well, then my sisters came and my uncle moved us to Texas. We’re originally from Maine, mind you, and as a nine year old kid, I only ask where mom and dad are.” He went quiet, slowly taking a drag of his cigarette.

“And?” Karkat asked softly, slowly scooting closer to him subconsciously.

“Well, they had divorced two years prior to us moving to Texas, and my mom had gotten pretty hurt by him.” He flicked his cigarette gently, clearing the ash building up. “About four years ago, they got back together and we all moved out here. From how shit our household life was, my older sister’s now an alcoholic, but from what I’ve seen, it looks like the folks are finally getting their shit together.” He looked at him gently. “What about your family’s ‘fresh start’, how’d your folks do that?”

Karkat was quiet for a long time. “My mom died five years ago.” He whispered, playing with his cigarette gently. “Um, well, yeah. She died five years ago… house break in. My dad was a cop back in Arles, so about three years ago he left for here on a work permit, did the training here, got citizenship while my uncle took care of me and my brother. Dad came back after school ended and got us here on visas. We’ve been here since early August.” He looked at him gently.

“You don’t sound too sure about it being a house break in.” Dave pushed his shades up again, looking him over gently.

“Well, that’s what happened.” He turned away, finishing his cigarette pretty quickly. “Thanks for the cigarette.”

“No problem. Hey, you should meet me here tomorrow and we can talk some more.” Dave smirked, finishing off his own cigarette as he pulled out a cigarette back. “Here put your butt in this, don’t want the school flipping their shit about cigarette butts being all over their ball field.”

Karkat placed it in gently after putting it out. “Okay, I’ll meet you here tomorrow.” He smiled softly, making his way back towards the school softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One: Arles is a town in France  
> Two: The bit about Dave's mom saying his dad was in multiple women, among other states, is from Futurama


	7. Closeted [Part 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave Strider and Gamzee Makara have a history, and Karkat's now learning about it. But what is their history? Also: Karkat, are you gay?

“So, there I was, confused as to why my uncle called me up onto the roof, by the way, I’m just nine, and suddenly, there’s this fucking blur of a man swooping past me, and before I know it, I have a sword in my hands.” Dave smirked, watching the smaller male as he took a drag from his third cigarette. “So, the next time I see him, I panic and hold it right in front of my face, and clank! I have a second sword in front of my face. By this point, nine year old Dave was shitting his pants out of fear, and that’s how my uncle started training me to sword fight.”

“Wow.” Karkat whispered, leaning his head against the bench as he watched Dave talk. His chest felt light and fluttery as he watched him, a small smile on his face. “So that’s why you’re so muscular.”

“Yeah, that and also I do some home exercise.” He smirked at him, pushing his shades against his eyes again. “So, what do you usually do at home?”

“Well, um, usually my friend Gamzee comes over and-”

“Wait, you’re friends with Gamzee Makara?” Dave cut him off, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah, kinda, he’s a bit annoying with his clown thing, but he’s nice. Why do you ask?”

“Let’s just say, we have a history that ended with him almost killing me and us occasionally having rap battles. They’re usually pretty fucking badass, but only because we’re doing it to fuck with the other.” He put out his cigarette, putting the butt in his carton. “We should head inside.” He mumbled, looking at Karkat gently.

“Oh, um, okay.” Karkat nodded, getting up gently before watching Dave go with him to the school. Dave looked at him gently, smirking at him gently.

“Hey, Kat?”

“What?” He looked at the blond, his cheeks flushing slightly. All he got was a small smirk and a ruffling of his hair gently.

“You’re a good friend, y’know? Text me sometime.” He walked off as Karkat stopped, watching him leave.

* * *

 “So, you’re wanting to know what kind of history I have with Strider?” Gamzee looked at Karkat gently, raising an eyebrow. “What, do ya have a crush on him or something?”

“What? No! You came up in our conversation, that’s all.” He answered defensively, hands in his pockets as he and Gamzee walked home.

“Karbro, it’s fine if you’re into guys, not like anyone’s gonna be all motherfucking pissed at ya. Not me, even. I mean, Kurloz has been with guys before, so it’s not like I’m gonna judge-”

“Oh my God! I **don’t** like guys!” Karkat snapped, looking at Gamzee with a scowl. Gamzee looked at him gently, a dazed smile on his face.

“Motherfucker, you’re so into him.” He chuckled, picking up Karkat. “Holy shit! You’re so light!”

“FUCK! PUT ME DOWN!!!” Karkat kicked, frowning.

“Heh, alright motherfucker.” He set him down. “Wanna come over to my house, I’ll tell you all about the history with Strider that I have.” He promised, wrapping an arm around him gently.

"Mhm, of course." He nodded, gently looking at the ground. "Hey, Gamz?"

"Yeah? What is it?" He asked, soon having Karkat's arms wrap around him.

“Thanks, Gamzee.” He whispered softly, looking up at the dark skinned boy. “You’re a good friend.”

“Heh, anytime.” Gamzee smiled.


	8. Closeted [Part 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat really needs to stop being a dirty liar about things. But hey, what can you say when you wake up crying over a dream that you don't want to ever end?

_Dave Strider smiled softly at the smaller male as he ran his long and slightly calloused fingers through his red hair, his eyes no longer hidden from their shades. The irises couldn’t be figured out to be a certain color, but they shone like jewels either way. His ivory cheeks were dusted a soft rose as they raised with the corners of his pale lips. Karkat’s own brownish-red eyes looked into the tall blond’s as his chapped lips found solitude against the other boys’ smooth ones. Fire-like eyelashes closed over one another as Karkat slowly pressed into the kiss, his hands caressing the blond’s cheeks. He didn’t feel anything, he couldn’t feel Dave, he couldn’t even feel his lips._

Karkat opened his eyes, finding his eyes staring up at the darkened ceiling of his room. He turned to glance over at his alarm clock, 3:52 am. A groan left him as he covered his eyes with his palms, rubbing at his face before returning to look at the ceiling. He felt his palms gently, feeling the warm wetness of his tears. He threw his hands down, trembling in his bed as he huffed and turned over, hugging a pillow tightly to himself. “It wasn’t real”, he tried telling himself, “Dave wouldn’t do that, he wouldn’t want me.”

A choked sob left him as he buried his face into his pillow, muffling the sounds. His father was up at this time, probably about to leave for work. He swallowed hard, trying to compose himself as he closed his eyes, trying to fall back asleep.

But all he could see was Dave’s pale lips upturned into a caring smile.

* * *

Karkat frowned as he smoked with Dave at lunch, not looking at the blond as he pondered his dream. He couldn’t be, could he? He couldn’t have an interest in Dave.

“Hey, you’re pretty quiet today.” Dave’s voice caused him to jump, a shiver running down his spine. “Is something wrong, Kat?”

“No, I’m fine.” He whispered, still looking away. A hand was slowly placed on his shoulder before he was turned, forced to face Dave.

“You don’t seem fine. I’m a little worried, is there something wrong?” Dave raised an eyebrow gently, stroking Karkat’s hair gently. The smaller male pulled away quickly, fixing his fair.

“Don’t touch me.” He whispered, avoiding his shades. He didn’t want to see how pathetic he actually was.

“Karkat…” Dave moved away from him, putting his cigarette out gently. “Are you sure everything's okay?”

“Yes!” Karkat tossed his own cigarette towards Dave, bounding off quickly as he covered his face with the hood of his jacket, rushing back to the main school building. As he got inside, he made his way to the bathroom, locking himself in a stall as he wiped aggressively at his face, choking back his tears. Why did this keep happening to him? Why couldn’t he just stop thinking this way about Dave?

* * *

Karkat was quiet as he pushed his food around, he had gone to the police station with some takeout for him and his father, as Kankri wasn’t able to make it home for dinner.

“Hey, Karkat? Can I talk to you about something?” He turned to look at his father, seeing the concern in the older man’s brown eyes. He nodded slowly, setting his food down. “I um- I heard you in your room this morning. I just want to make sure everything is alright.”

“Yeah.” He lied, forcing a fake smile. “It was just a nightmare, nothing more.”

“You sure? Cause you sound like you’re lying.” The words caused Karkat to stiffen, his false smile falling away as he averted his eyes. “Karkat, if it’s something that’s bothering you, you can tell me, there’s nothing you can tell me that’s going to make me send you away.”

“Are you sure?” He asked, curling up in his chair gently, holding his legs close to his chest as he gripped the sleeves of his hoodie into his palms.

“Yes, Karkat. I’m your father and I love you, nothing can demolish that.” He gently hugged the younger male gently, rubbing his back. “Now, if you need to tell me anything, you can. It can even just be between you and me.” He whispered.

“Okay.” He took a deep breath, looking at his father slowly. “I’m gay.”


End file.
